While I’m writing this Café Krem is going truly international. Neli from the Banbridge store is currently making around 1000 coffees a day during a 4 day medical conference in Budapest and Niamh who is just back from a brilliant performance at the world Latté Art championships in Belgium is working for our coffee partners in Berlin.

When she finishes on Saturday she has 2 days off in the German city before flying direct to Barcelona to do another 4 days in the Catalan capital.  Great to be part of a company who keeps pushing the boundaries.

Lots more new and interesting stuff comingup soon. We have Emir returning from Paris to work this summer and Ulricc a Belgian coffee shop owner has asked to come and work to perfect his trade in Newry.

When we get this site up and running I will publish photos from the workshops we gave in Antwerp at the World of Coffee exhibition and also the trip to Caffé Culture in London.

Thanks for your patience and for sticking with us.

Here we are in May and welcome to our new look webpage. Hope you like  it , (let me know).  The objective is that I can post it faster and that you get the news as it happens.

 So what’s been happening??? Well we’ve already had the Ready Steady Cook episode where Café Krem was part of the winning team. It was great fun to do but personally painful to watch.I’d like to thank everyone at Endemol TV production for their professionalism (and no thanks I don’t want to do big brother), Ainsley Harriot who was an absolute star and real genuine guy. My co-competitor James, (finally I beat you!) and the chefs Nick and Lesley. Altogether a good laugh with nice people and a chance for Café Krem to keep our profile at the forefront of the industry.

The guy in Sainsbury’s says it’s my fault thathe has sold out of Toulouse Sausages, but when they’re in stock try the recipe from the program it was delicious and don’t forget takes only 20 minutes.

Had a great day out at the first  N. Ireland Barista jam where the brightest and best but more importantly the most interested baristas from all over Ireland got together in Belfast to spend the day learning new aspects of their trade. Around 30 coffee superstars got together at the espresso logic training rooms to learn about coffee roasting and blending from Phillip Mills of Johnstons about Coffee Cupping from Hugh Gilmartin of Specialist Beverages and to do a Barista workshop with Sé Gorman and a sensory workshop with Stephen Morrissey.The day had an educational theme with an underlying competitive edge. The overall winner on the day was Karl Purdy from Coffee Angel and the outstanding Barista was Jon Armstrong from Clements. Barry from Grounds got a prize as did Dave from Clements.There was a great opportunity for new people like Lisa from Café Paul Rankin to meet Baristas  Graham and Barry from Grounded and Jurgita and Neli from Café Krem in Newry. For The team from the Streat to meet the team from Grounds in Coleraine and Ballymena,(probably the most progressive Coffee shop in the North). The Clements guys discovered Roger the giant from Crusoe and James from Matthew Algie and Jacquie from Bewleys  was able to chat with all her new and old northern allies. Special thanks to Hugh and Sharon for hosting and funding the event to Steve Penk for sorting the La Spaziale machine. To Phillip and David from Johnstons for the roasting and to all the participants for coming along on their day off.Lots of people have contacted us to have another so if we can get the money together we just might do that. If you wre ther and have any comments let me know on  info@cafekrem.com The greatest success of the day was that everyone there who are normally competitive retailers and suppliers came together to share and learn from each other for the benefit of the industry. 

Graham & Barry from Grounded   and Subi Danny and Kerry from Grounds with Jurgita from Café Krem

    Coffee chat.. Some of our customers are happily using Aerobie Aeropress’ to brew their coffee and they are reporting great satisfaction and success with that.  Another customer is loving trying a variety of Krem sourced coffee in a Cafétiere enhanced by using a “Kitchenaid Proline” Burr Grinder. To me personally this is the best home brew solution for getting cost effective great tasting coffee to your table when you want it. Anyone who wants details should mail me at info@cafekrem.com or just ask me when you’re in the shop.    Had visits from Karl Purdy and Robert Czar coffee geeks from Dublin and Canada. They spent some time hanging out in the Hill Street shop watching how we do things and discussing general customer service and coffee preparation styles. It’s really nice to have other people’s views and ideas. Keeps us as fresh as the coffee.   The BB’s muffins franchise boss also called to check us out and to congratulate Café Krem on the UK Championship success. Nice guy, wish I had time to chat more but we are working Barista’s and not office administrators.  Had a long chat with the boss of Zio uk the Italian restaurant chain who was a very interesting dynamic guy living in England with loads of southern Italian heritage. He discussed some of the difficulties and benefits of franchising. As he loved our coffee so much he stayed long time chatting over the top of the espresso machine. I can reveal that Newry will soon be getting it’s own Restaurant Zio.  Watch this space. 

Following the success last month of Niamh Flynn who got second in the Irish Barista championship finals.

 On Sunday 18^th March Sé Gorman came 2^nd in the U.K. Barista Finals.   This means of all the coffee shops, bars, cafés and restaurants, throughout Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales 2 of the top Baristas work in your local coffee shop, making you your coffee on a daily basis.How proud are you? And how proud are we! Well done Café Krem !!!!! Add to that that Café Krem had 2 people , Neli and Sé, in the final, and this is the second year running that we have 2 people in the UK finals and the Irish Finals and you soon understand that your local coffee shop is best… consistently. 

The UK final was won by

Jim Hoffman absolute Star, mad scientist Barista and a totally nice guy, he is also currently 5^th in the world and expected to improve on that in  the World finals in  Tokyo in July.  

World Barista champion Klaus Thompsen from Denmark

came backstage to wish Neli well before her performance and asked her if she would make him his first espresso of the day.

Quite a compliment from the Champ., and with all her usual charm she put a smile on his face. 

The Café Krem team Sé, Jurgita and Neli with

World Barista Champion Klaus Thompsen  and Gary McGann of  www.espressowarehouse.com It was a great weekend  and we are delighted with our success.We also had great fun with the team from Grounds coffee in Coleraine who were brilliant craic and who were represented by Subi in the final. There are lots of photos and we’ll put them on www.flickr.com/photos/cafekrem just a soon as we censor out the incriminating ones. (If only you could hear our helium gas filled singing in TGIF, an experience only to be imagined!!!)  More photos of the even will be on www.jimseven.com and are already up on www.hasblog.co.uk/?p=195 and www.coffee-house.org.uk  www.flyingthud.wordpress.com    tons of people were there and took loads of photos so just follow the links.  
      
The Aeropress has been won, I’m delighted to say, by Colette Mathers 1^st out of the hat with all questions right (and a regular Hill Street customer), and we are giving a coffee goodie bag to Janice Truesdale who was second out of the hat. The correct answers were;  1 The Golden Teapot is a historical landmark at one corner of Margaret Square Newry ,2 The Plant with the beautiful white flower was a Coffee plant of course.3 The Landmark Café was Bewleys Oriental Café on Grafton Street Dublin,4 If you were drinking, Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harrar, you would be in Ethiopia, and..5 The current World Barista Champion is Klaus Thompsen from Denmark..(see above hanging out with the Krem team)Thanks to all of you who took the time to enter. We’ll do another one next post as soon as I can think of a prize.     Big news coming up soon,,,, watch the next post for this….   

we are just every where these days!

With the unweildy nature of the Krem website and having lots of stuff going on I thought I could try this in parrallel with the main site to see if I can manage it myself instead of constantly returning to my host to get stuff published.

So technically it’s not vanity just a little more efficient and convenient.